Review of The Roanoker in Roanoke, VA

The Roanoker Restaurant has been an icon in the Roanoke Valley for over 60 years.

As a spot that’s become well-known to locals and visitors, The Roanoker features classic Southern comfort food and hospitality. It’s also been recognized by publications such as Southern Living for serving some of the best breakfast in the South.

While I remembered going to The Roanoker as a kid, it’d been years since my most recent visit - when we took my father-in-law for breakfast during a weekend visit.

On a late-Sunday morning, it certainly provided a glimpse of what has become a weekend tradition for many families in the area. Whether it was older couples at their usual booth or young families, breakfast at The Roanoker is something common and part of the culture of being a Roanoke resident.

The menu features many of the typical breakfast classics, such as omelettes, pancakes, and the typical meat-and-egg dishes, but The Roanoker is also hugely popular for its biscuits and country ham.

In an effort to get the best of both worlds, I ordered the Country Ham with Red-Eye Gravy, which came with eggs, fried apples and biscuits. I also happened to get the sausage gravy that came as a side with my wife’s omelette.

I’m typically not a big fan of country ham, but being able to pair it with the fried apples made for a fantastic combination. The sweetness of the apples helped balance the saltiness of the ham, and the red-eye gravy was excellent when sopped (that’s a word in the South. I don’t care what you say.) up with the biscuits.The apples & ham combination was a revelation. I’ve been avoiding country ham all this time because I think it’s too salty. Now, I’ve learned that all I need is a side dish of fried apples to go with it.I ordered my eggs scrambled, but I could also see how fried eggs would be a solid choice when paired with the country ham.

Add in the delicious biscuits & sausage gravy and it was one massive, fantastic breakfast feast.

The Roanoker has been winning awards for years as one of the best breakfast spots in the Roanoke Valley. It’s something of an institution in the area and a place where many people have created lasting memories.

And with the way things are going, it looks like the good folks at The Roanoker will continue providing those good times for many years to come.

Review of Mama's Boy in Athens

I ate at Mama’s Boy one time while I was a student at the University of Georgia.

I went with my girlfriend (now wife) for lunch and our meal was overpriced, the restaurant was nearly empty, and the food wasn’t anything special.

That was about seven years ago.Now, Mama’s Boy is arguably the most popular restaurant in Athens and it’s becoming known as one of the better restaurants in the South, particularly for breakfast.

It’s earned recognition from publications like Southern Living, Garden & Gun, and even ESPN in its "Taste of the Towns" feature as part of its college football coverage.

With all this notoriety, we decided to give the give the restaurant a try for breakfast during a recent trip to Athens.

With UGA students away for the holiday break, I thought we might be able to go for breakfast without it being too crowded on a Saturday morning. Think again.

Though we only had to wait about 20 minutes for a table, it took me just as long to find a parking spot. The parking lot in front of the restaurant is tiny and there’s also a small lot behind Mama’s Boy that fills up quickly on a Saturday morning when the breakfast/brunch rush hits.With those two lots being full, the parking situation becomes an every-man-for-himself ordeal. I settled with street parking down the hill on the other side of the public park next to the restaurant and made the trek back up in hopes of a delicious breakfast.This time, I would not be disappointed.Because of my love of all things smoked, I ordered the Pulled Pork & Potato Hash. It was a plate of hash browns and pulled pork topped with eggs and hollandaise sauce that also came with a biscuit on the side. The dish is originally made with two poached eggs, though I substituted them for scrambled eggs.

I loved it.

The pulled pork had a strong flavor and it mixed very well with the eggs and creaminess from the hollandaise sauce, which provided some nice spice. The potatoes weren’t overly cooked or greasy and the pork was the texture you look for in pulled pork BBQ - not too juicy or fatty.

It’s a mountain of a dish, but a fantastic way to start the day.

Then, there was the biscuit that came along with my dish.

Y’all.

THESE. BISCUITS. ARE. INCREDIBLE.

I don’t know if these huge, light, fluffy, pillows of dough are made in the restaurant or if they are just delivered daily from a stork who brings them down from the heavens.

I switched between eating my biscuit with the hash, covering it with butter, or topping it with the amazing fruit preserves on our table. It didn’t matter. Any option was so good.You could top that biscuit with laundry detergent and there’s a good chance it’d still figure out a way to be delicious.As I’m racking my brain, I can’t think of a better biscuit I’ve ever had.Our entire meal was fantastic. And for three people to have a great breakfast that also kept us full through lunch, under $30 for the meal was very reasonable.While Mama’s Boy disappointed me during my initial visit, it made up for it and more with this most recent trip. I see why it’s earned a reputation as one of the best breakfast spots in the South.

I know I’ll be back for more.

Planning a trip to The Classic City? Check out my recommendations of things to do when visiting Athens!

Review of Mission BBQ in Roanoke

I’ve made no secret about my disappointment in the BBQ offerings in the Roanoke Valley.

I’ve found a few good spots for pulled pork and ribs, but the region still lacks a variety of places to find quality BBQ.

So when a new BBQ restaurant opens in Roanoke, like the Mission BBQ at Towers Shopping Center, I get really excited.

Because my family travels to Maryland a lot, we were familiar with Mission BBQ. It’s a Maryland-based company and my parents had visited a location in the Baltimore area.

There was reason for optimism that a new Roanoke location would provide a good option for quality, reasonably-priced BBQ. And it would offer some legitimate competition to other BBQ restaurants in the area.Based on the three meals I’ve had at the new spot, Mission BBQ is off to a good start.

The atmosphere is open and very casual. You order at the counter and wait for your food to be served before finding a table in the open, spacious dining room.

To go along with the “Mission” theme, the restaurant has many elements that pay tribute to our military. Whether it’s through offering cups that provide proceeds to the Wounded Warrior Project, or seeing posters and uniforms from military branches hanging on the walls, it’s clear Mission BBQ cares about honoring our troops and veterans. It’s cool to see.

As for the food, Mission BBQ offers a variety of smoked meats, sandwiches and side dishes.

They also offer a wide assortment of sauces, including a smoky sauce, Memphis-style sweet sauce, vinegar-based, Texas hot sauce, Alabama white sauce, and others. As far as I know, it’s the only restaurant in Roanoke with an Alabama white sauce, which is great on chicken and turkey.

However, and in what’s always a great sign with BBQ, the meats have plenty of flavor without adding any sauce.

Of the meats I’ve tried, my favorites have been the pulled pork, smoked turkey and smoked chicken. I was also a fan of the chopped brisket sandwich, but the pork, turkey and chicken have been the standouts, particularly the turkey.

All the meats have a smoky flavor, but the pork and turkey are especially moist and not overly seasoned or rubbed.

If you’re a fan of sauces, my personal preferences are for the Smoky Mountain with the pork and the Alabama White with the turkey.

Along with the meats, the side dishes are also quite tasty. My top choice would be the mac & cheese, which is then followed by the baked beans with brisket. For a healthy option, you can also get a side salad.Comparable to most BBQ restaurants nowadays, the prices at Mission BBQ are very reasonable. A pulled pork sandwich with a side and drink is around $10, and a combo with two meats, sides and a drink is around $15. I can think of one popular BBQ restaurant in Downtown Roanoke that is much more expensive and the quality is nowhere near as good as Mission’s.

The arrival of Mission BBQ is a step in the right direction of Roanoke’s BBQ scene. We’re certainly not the next Lockhart, Texas, but if the region can become known for having good BBQ, it’s mission accomplished.

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From Ballparks to BBQ is a blog that focuses on food, sports, and travel. Whether it's a restaurant review, game preview, or what to do in a city, I'm here to offer my thoughts and suggestions. Learn more >

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